Why it works: Cream and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,787 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Shrimp Fondue
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fondue
Melt sour cream, cream cheese, shrimp soup, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt over low heat in a medium pot.
Cook until melted together and the mixture has a creamy texture.
Pour mixture into a serving bowl.
Serve
Serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Cream Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 99 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Shrimp + garlictop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,743 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Cream + cream cheesetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,087 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
-
Cream cheese + shrimptop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together183 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Shrimp + saucetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,423 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sour cream
- Adds tang and a creamy, smooth body to the melted sauce.
- Cream cheese
- Provides thickness and a rich, smooth texture when melted.
- Condensed cream of shrimp soup
- Supplies the shrimp flavor and extra body to the sauce.
The step that matters
Melting over low heat. Dairy-based sauces like this can separate or scorch if heated too quickly. Gentle, low heat lets the sour cream and cream cheese melt smoothly into a uniform, creamy mixture.
Swap the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, cream cheese, shrimp, sauce):
- Capersfits about as well
- Garlicthe original
- Nutmegfits less well
- Dillfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, cream cheese, shrimp, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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